The Philadelphia Phillies appear ready to give the center field duties to one of their top prospects, as all signs point to the opportunity being his to lose this spring.
According to MLB.com’s Paul Casella, the Phillies plan to give top prospect Justin Crawford a legitimate chance to win the starting job heading into Opening Day, showing confidence in his game and finally looking to give some young guys a chance.
“The Phillies are hoping this one is easy,” he wrote. “They have said all offseason that they are going to give Justin Crawford -- the No. 53 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- every opportunity to secure the center-field job. Without any other obvious candidate on the roster, it would take a disastrous turn of events for anyone other than the speedy Crawford to be in center field come Opening Day....
“The Phillies are going to give Justin Crawford (MLB Pipeline’s No. 53 overall prospect) every opportunity to secure the starting job in center field. They’re confident that he’s more than ready for the big leagues after a strong 2025 season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and the outfield – with newcomer Adolis García in right and Brandon Marsh in left – could certainly use a boost. Meanwhile, Andrew Painter (No. 28 prospect) will look to pitch his way into the Opening Day rotation – especially if Zack Wheeler isn’t ready to start the season – after an up-and-down 2025 season in the Minors.”
Crawford, one of the top prospects in Major League Baseball, has elite speed, a good defensive profile, and the ability to get on base. I wouldn’t say that he’ll be perfect in Philadelphia, but he has tools, and that’s what we need to look at.
With Adolis Garcia moving to right field, the Phillies outfield looks better than it did a year ago, but again, I still have some questions about the unit. Garcia has struggled in recent years and this will be Crawford’s first cup of coffee.
He shouldn’t be the only one, either, as Casella touched on, as right-hander Andrew Painter is pushing for a spot in the rotation. I expect him to get a shot in the early stages of the season.